This invention relates to driers for use with automotive vehicles, and particularly, to driers adapted for drying the under portion of automotive vehicles after they have been washed to clean and remove debris, dirt and accumulations therefrom.
Heretofore, a large business has developed in the preservation of automotive vehicles with protective coatings that are adhered to the under portion of automotive vehicles and other portions thereof subject to rust and other forms of body deterioration. Usually, such protective coatings are applied after the vehicle has been initially treated by the automotive dealer. Such treatments being commonly referred to as "rustproofing."
Typically in such business a chemical solution or formulation is prepared and manually or mechanically applied to the under portion of the automotive vehicle and injected into other portions of the vehicle such as, for example, rocker panels, doors and the like, by techniques well known to those skilled in the art.
In the application of such coatings to the under portion of the automotive vehicle it is necessary to clean the under portion with high velocity jet streams of water or steam to remove dirt, grime, and accumulations thereof from the vehicle so that the coating will adhere to the under portion. After the under portion has been thoroughly washed and scrubbed and all fragments of dirt, loose metal and the like removed therefrom, it is usual to apply heat to the under portion to dry the vehicle so that the protective coating can be subsequently applied.
Servicemen use heaters, usually gas heaters to quickly evaporate the water from the under portion so that a dry surface is provided to which the protective coating can be applied. It is not at all unusual for such servicemen in their haste to dry the under portion of the automotive vehicle to actually burn, sometimes melt or even set fire to the various parts of the automotive vehicle that are exposed to the open flame of the torch. As a result, considerable damage is done to the vehicle. Moreover, considerable time in the form of man hours is lost as a result of requiring servicemen to physically and manually expose the gas heater to the under portion of the automotive vehicle.
Quite surprisingly, I have developed a device that is extremely safe and efficient for use in drying the under portions of automotive vehicles. My device physically removes the water from the under portion as well as evaporates the moisture therefrom without damage to the under portion of the vehicle and without any fire hazard. Moreover, my invention does not require constant surveillance by a serviceman and is automatic, thereby relieving him of the need to supervise the drying operation. Thus, he may be free to perform other more useful functions in the operation of applying protective coatings to the under portions of automotive vehicles.